Improvement in electro-plating iron and steel with silver



that sat .imi Gtffh:

first depositingthereon a thin covering of gold.

It is a well-known fact that it is diificult to cover.-

substitute in its place a. bath of salt and-water.

The object can now be removed, and plated with I efied apieceuof gold tothe positive pole of the bat:

tery'and a piece of copper to the negative pole, iln.

ALEXANDER AW-nor KlNGST'ONfGl-XNAD Letters manna. 109,633, m November 29, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT in ELECT-RO-PLA'TING IRON AND srEEL WITH SILVER.

'Jfhe Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of 'the To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER LAWE, of the city at Kingston, in the county of Frontenac, in the prorince of Ontario, Canada, gentleman, have discovered new and useful Improvements in the Art of Electroplating Iron 011 Steel with Silver; and! do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description of the manipulation and operation of the same. 7

My improvement consistsin silver-plating iron by" iron directly'with silver. The common inethod in use of first dipping the iron'iua copper solution is found defective in practice, because no 'real'union is formed between the metals, the metals having simply a chemial alfinity for each other. v

By nay-process, which will now he described, a per-' foot union is formed between'the two substances.

I employ a voltaic battery composed of zinc and copper, using a bath of sulphateo't' copper; \Vheir the battery is ready the. gold solution is prepared in the following manner:

Take one ounce of cyanide of potassium and dis-' solve it in two pints of soft water; then, having fastsolution of cyanide of potassium.

V In the course of a short space of time the piece of copper attached to the negative pole of the battery.

will be found coated ready for use.

' Now take the object, "whet-her iron or steel, which you wish to plate, andhaving first cleansed it with diluted muriatic acid, attach it to the pole to which with gold. '.lhe solution isnow the piece of copper was previously attached, '1'. a, the negative.

'lhen pour out the bath of-sulpl'iate of copper, and

silver in the ordinary way. 7 I

Having thus fully described my invention,

What I claim, and desire to seem e by Letters Pat- The process described of plating iron with silver hy first plating it with gold, with the solution of cyanide of potassium and battery, as described, and covering It with silver in the ordinary manner, as and for the purpose set forth.

I 9th September, A. D. 1870.

Witnesses: ALEXANDER LAWE.

v S. M. HENLINE,

'1. I. Ganrwmeur. 

